This homemade Sausage Stuffing Recipe is packed with savory sausage, tender bread cubes, and simple herbs for a delicious holiday side dish. Serve it alongside a Thanksgiving turkey with a little gravy poured over the top. It’s a must-have for your holiday menu!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Sausage Stuffing Recipe
- Why Make It: The vegetables cook in the sausage drippings, adding extra savory flavor to every bite without needing any extra ingredients.
- Skill Level: Easy! Just brown the sausage, sauté the vegetables, toss everything together, and bake until golden.
- Time-Saver: Use packaged dry bread cubes to save prep time.
- Total Time:
- 50 mins
- Serves:
- 10 servings
- Rating:
- 5.0/5
Ingredient Notes
- Pork Sausage: Use seasoned ground pork sausage for the best flavor. If using sausage links, remove the casings before browning.
- Celery: Dice the celery into small, even pieces so it softens nicely and blends well with the bread cubes.
- Poultry Seasoning: Use store-bought or try homemade poultry seasoning.
- Fresh Herbs: Parsley, thyme, rosemary, and sage add classic stuffing flavor. Finely chop rosemary and sage so their stronger flavors are evenly distributed, or substitute with dried herbs.
- Dry Bread Cubes: White bread makes a softer stuffing, while French bread or sourdough adds a heartier texture. If drying your own bread, let it dry completely before measuring, or use plain, unseasoned packaged bread cubes for convenience and better control over the seasoning.
- Chicken Broth: Different breads absorb different amounts of liquid, so start with a little broth and add more as needed until the bread cubes are evenly moistened. Use low-sodium broth or make homemade chicken stock so you can easily adjust the seasoning to taste.
Variations
- Dried Cranberries: Fold in a small handful for a touch of sweetness.
- Mushrooms: Sauté chopped mushrooms with the vegetables until their moisture evaporates to add extra savory flavor.
- Bread Blend: Combine white bread and sourdough for a stuffing with soft, tender pieces and a little extra chew.
How to Make Sausage Stuffing
- Brown the sausage, and sauté the vegetables with butter and poultry seasoning.
- Toss with dried bread and herbs, adding broth until moistened (full recipe below).
- Transfer to a casserole dish, drizzle with melted butter, and bake.
Make Ahead and Leftovers
- Prep Ahead: Dry the bread cubes and cook the sausage and vegetable mixture in advance. Refrigerate the cooked mixture promptly, then combine everything with the bread and broth just before baking.
- Refrigerator: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Add a splash of broth when reheating to keep it moist.
- Freeze: Bake, cool, and freeze portions in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Place the leftover stuffing in an oven-safe dish, add a splash of chicken broth to keep it moist, cover with foil, and bake at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes or until heated through. Remove the foil for the last few minutes if you’d like to crisp up the top.
Serve leftover stuffing with turkey and gravy, tuck it into turkey roll-ups, or use it as a flavorful filling for stuffed pork chops.
Round Out Your Turkey Dinner
Did you enjoy this Sausage Stuffing Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Sausage Stuffing Recipe
This sausage stuffing combines browned pork, tender bread cubes, and herbs with a buttery golden top. It’s a savory side for turkey, chicken, or holiday dinners.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground pork sausage
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 cup celery diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 8 cups dry bread cubes
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs 2 tbsp total of any combination of parsley, thyme, rosemary and/or sage or 1 teaspoon dried herbs
- 2 to 3 cups chicken broth
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F
- In a large skillet, brown the sausage over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Transfer the sausage to a bowl, reserving the drippings.
- Add 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet along with the drippings. Add onion, celery, garlic, and poultry seasoning and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, add dried bread cubes, cooled sausage, onions mixture, and fresh herbs. Toss to combine.
- Add 1 cup of broth, gently tossing it with the bread, and let it sit briefly to absorb. Add more broth as needed to moisten the bread cubes, you may not need all of the broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Place in a 2 ½ qt casserole dish and drizzle with ¼ cup melted butter.
- Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until golden.
Mix gently and spoon the stuffing loosely into the baking dish without pressing it down.
Notes
Broth: The amount of broth needed will vary based on the type of bread used. Start with 1 cup and add more as needed to ensure the bread isn’t mushy.
Seasoning: Broth and sausage can vary in salt levels. It’s okay to taste the stuffing for seasoning once the bread has been tossed with the broth, as all ingredients in the recipe are cooked.
To Dry Bread Cubes: Cube the bread and leave on a baking tray at room temperature for at least 24 hours or up to 1 month.
To Quickly Dry Bread: Place the cubes in a single layer and dry in the oven at 250°F for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool before using. Measure bread cubes after drying.
Make Ahead: Prepare the recipe as directed without baking. Cover and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. Remove the stuffing from the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking. Bake as directed, adding 5 to 10 minutes if needed.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 334 | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 729mg | Potassium: 254mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 262IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Great recipe! I’ve made this for years, with the only addition of a couple apples diced. So good I make a double batch because everyone wants to take some home!
This is very similar to what my mother taught me as I was growing up. The only thing extra that she added was shredded cabbage. She always included apples and when I would make it, I sometimes would include nuts. And I didn’t use broth so much as I did butter. But it was delicious.!!
This is exactly how I make my stuffing. Got the recipe from my Grandmother and it is delicious!
This was a dish my mother used to make for stuffing the turkey at Christmas. I had never made it because I didn’t have the recipe.
I wasn’t sure how much liquid to put in and I think it was a bit too moist but my whole family loved it. Even the grandchildren who I thought wouldn’t touch it because of some of the ingredients. Wrong. When we went to our daughters at the weekend for a family dinner, my grandson asked why hadn’t I made the stuffing to go with the roast instead of his Mums packet mix. I won’t let that happen again!
Thank you Holly for this happy memories recipe.
Dorothy, what a heartwarming story! It’s amazing how food can bring back cherished memories and even create new ones with family. So glad this recipe helped you reconnect with a special tradition—sounds like your stuffing is now a must-have at family dinners!
Hi Holly, I’ve been following you a very very long time lol, love your recipe’s.
If I use store bought bread cubes I assume I need more broth right? They are bigger and have white and brown bread.
:)
It can vary a little bit based on the density of the bread and how much liquid it soaks up—usually store bought will need a bit more. I would suggest adding broth a little at a time, stir and let rest so the bread can soak up the broth, and then add a little more. Repeat until the bread is moist but not soggy.
I am planning to make this, but was going to stuff the bird. Can I do that? Any advice or adjustments I should factor in? thank you!
You absolutely can use this recipe to stuff a bird. If stuffing a turkey, stuffing should be room temperature or cool and not stuffed in the turkey until just before roasting, no other changes needed. Completely cool the stuffing first, the center of the stuffing should reach 165°F as the drippings from the bird enter the stuffing.
Instructions not clear on herbs. is that two tablespoons total or two tablespoons per herb?
2 tablespoons total
Love this recipe. I also use pepperich farm stuffing mix.
We love it too, Kathy! Thanks for leaving a comment :)
EXCELLENT recipe! I made this into stuffing balls. I prepared the recipe as is and rolled into balls. I baked what I needed and froze the rest unbaked to be used another time. Easy peasy and SO GOOD!
So happy you enjoyed it, Marlene!
recipe is similiar to mine but I add sauerkraut and mushrooms……love your recipes.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Your version sounds delicious Barb! Happy Thanksgiving!
Please clarify how much of each of the fresh herbs to use. Thank you.
Hi Barbara, you want to use a total of 2 tablespoons fresh herbs. If using parsley, thyme, rosemary, and sage you will want to use ½ tablespoon each. I hope this helps!
I love making Sausage Stuffing I’ve made it just like yours.
We love it too!!
I add chopped apples, craisins and chopped cranberries along with mixing chicken broth with apple cider. Delicious! Along with the sausage and bread etc.
Your version sounds delicious Elaine!
Hi Holly!
Love this recipe and trying it for our late Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. Hope yours was great! For the fresh herbs, is it two TBSP each? Or altogether?
Thanks for sharing this! It sounds amazing!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family too Mike. This is 2 tablespoons total. Let us know how it works out for you!
Can you make this stuffing in a slow cooker?
Sure you can! I would follow the cook times in our Crock Pot Stuffing reicpe.
First time making the stuffing I wanted to make it before Thanksgiving to make sure that it came out great and it absolutely did…. great flavors perfect texture can’t wait to make it for Thanksgiving fir Family and Friends this will be a yearly addition to the Thanksgiving day table, gobble gobble
Hi Holly.. I would like to make this stuffing for Thanksgiving and was wondering how much to add of each ingrediant to make 12 servings instead of 10? Can I use your Easy Stuffing Recipe and just add the sausage? Thanks
If you click “PRINT” on the print page you can increase the servings to 12 and it will give you the amounts to use. You can also add stuffing to the other recipe if you’d like!
Have not made this recipe but plan to soon. In looking at another one of your recipes, I saw you do not add raw eggs – is this only when stuffing a turkey but you add eggs to the dressing recipe? Thank you.
You can add raw eggs if you’d like. Some recipes do and some don’t, it helps to bind the stuffing a little bit. I do add it to my crock pot stuffing recipe.
Used this recipe over the weekend for an early thanksgiving dinner, and it was excellent! I’d definitely use it again. Oh, and leftovers are the best :)
So glad you loved it Christina!
Can this be made in a crockpot?
Yes this will work just fine in a slow cooker. I would suggest following the directions for Crock Pot Stuffing.
I have a question about making this the night before. Do you add all ingredients.. even the broth.. and bake fully then put in the fridge or do you add all ingredients, even broth and refrigerate then bake the next day?
Hi Tiffany, we add all the ingredients together in the casserole dish, cover and store in the fridge up to 24 hours ahead. Then take it out and bake as directed on the day.